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The seventh Guru of the Sikh faith,
was the son of Baba Gurditta and grandson
of Guru Hargobind, Nanak VI. He was
born on 16 January 1630 at Kiratpur,
in present-day Ropar district of the
Punjab. In 1640, he was married to Sulakkhani,
daughter of Daya Ram of Anupshahr, in
Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh.
He was gentle by nature and had a devout
temperament. He was Guru Hargobind's
favourite grandchild, and he had been
given the name of Har Rai by the Guru
himself. Once, record old texts, Har
Rai was returning home after his riding
exercise. From a distance he saw Guru
Hargobind sitting in the garden. He
at once got off his horse to go and
do him homage.In this hurry, his robe
was caught in a bush and a few of the
flowers were broken from their stems.
This pained Har Rai's heart. He sat
down on the spot and wept bitterly.
Guru Hargobind came and consoled him.
He also advised him: "Wear your
robe by all means, but be careful as
you walk. It behoves God's servants
to be tender to all things." There
was a deeper meaning in the Guru's words.
One must live in this world, and yet
be master of oneself.
Guru Hargobind knew Har Rai to be the
fittest to inherit the "light"
from him. He nominated him as his successor
and consecrated him Guru before departing
this life on 3 March 1644. Guru Har
Rai kept the stately style Guru Hargobind
had introduced. He was attended by 2,200
armed followers, but no further conflict
with the ruling power occurred. He established
three important preaching missions called
bakhshishes for the spread of Guru Nanak's
teaching. First was that of Bhagvan
Gir, renamed Bhagat Bhagvan, who established
missionary centres in eastern India.
The second was that of Sangatla, renamed
Bhai Pheru, who preached in Rajasthan
and southern Punjab. Guru Har Rai also
sent Bhat Gonda to Kabul, Bhai Nattha
to Dhaka and Bhai Jodh to Multan to
preach. The ancestors of present-day
families of Bagarlan and Kaithal preached
in the Malva region. Guru Har Rai himself
travelled extensively in this area and
a large number of people accepted his
teaching. He confirmed the blessing
earlier bestowed by Guru Hargobind on
a poor boy, Phul, who became the founder
of the families of Patiala, Nabha and
Jind. These families ruled in their
territories in the Punjab until recent
years.
Kiratpur was Guru Har Rai's permanent
seat. Here disciples and visitors came
to seek blessings and instruction. The
Guru kept the daily practice of his
predecessors. The institution of langar,
community eating, continued to flourish.
Guru Har Rai chose himself the simplest
fare which was earned by the labour
of his own hands. In the morning, he
sat in the sangat and explained the
Sikh doctrine. He did not compose any
hymns of his own, but quoted those of
his predecessors in his discourses.
He often repeated to his followers the
following verses of Bhal Gurdas,Varan
(XXVIII. 15):
A true Sikh rises before the night
ends,
And turns his thoughts to God's Name,
To charity and to holy bathing.
He speaks humbly and humbly he walks,
He wishes everyone well and he is joyed
to
give away gifts from his hand.
He sleeps but little,
And little does he eat and talk.
Thus he receives the Guru's true instruction
.
He lives by the labour of his hands
and he does good deeds.
However eminent he might become,
He demonstrates not himself.
He sings God's praises in the company
f holy men.
Such company he seeks night and day.
Upon Word is his mind fixed,
And he delights in the Guru's will.
Unenticed he lives in this world of
enticement
Guru Har Rai was at Goindval when Dara
Shukoh, heir apparent to the Mughal
throne, entered the Punjab fleeing in
front of the army of his brother, Aurangzab,
after his defeat in the battle of Samugarh
on 29 May 1658 At Goindval, where he
arrived in the last week of June 1658,
he called on Guru Har Rai, and sought
the consolation of his blessing The
prince was of a liberal religious disposition,
and had a natural inclination for the
company of saintly persons He was especially
an admirer of the famous Muslim Sufi,
Mian Mir, who was known to the Sikh
Gurus Sikh tradition also recalls how
Dara Shikoh had once been cured of a
serious malady with herbs sent to hint
by Guru Har Rai in his affliction now
he readily took the opportunity of having
an audience with the Guru According
to Sarup Das Bhalla, Mahima Prakash,
Guru Har Rai deployed his own troops
to delay Aurangab's army which was pursuing
Dara close at his heels.
Guru Har Rai left Goindval on a tour
of the districts where the Sikh faith
had taken root in the time of his predecessors.
He travelled further on to Kashmir.
The Baisakhi of 1660 was celebrated
at Sialkot in the home of Nand Lal Puri,
grandfather of Haqiqat Rai, the martyr
The journey was resumed in the company
of Sikhs such as Makkhan Shah, the Lubana
trader, and Aru Ram, father of Kirpa
Ram Datt who later led to the presence
of Guru Tegh Bahadur group of Kashmiri
pandits driven to dire distress by State
persecution Guru Har Rai arrived at
Srinagar, via Martand, on 19 May 1660,
and visited Mota Tanda, the village
to which his disciple, Makkhan Shah
belonged. On his way back, he stopped
at Akhnur and Jammu. At the latter place,
the local masand, Bhat Kahna, waited
on him with the sangat.
Dara Shukoh's meeting with Guru Har
Rai was misrepresented to Emperor Aurangzeb
Highly coloured stories were carried
to him. His officials and courtiers
reported to him that Guru Har Rai was
a rebel and that he had helped the fugitive
prince, Dara. Further, that the Sikh
Scripture contained verses derogatory
to Islam. The Empror asked Raja Jai
Singh of Amber to have Guru Har Rai
brought to Delhi. The Raja's envoy,
Hari Chand, who reached Kiratpur on
the Baisakhi day of 1661, presented
the royal summons. Guru Har Rai wondered
why he had been called to Delhi and,
to quote Bhat Santokh Singh," Sri
Gur Pratap Suraj Granth, he said, "I
rule over no territory, I owe the king
no tax, nor do I want anything from
him. There is no connection of teacher
and disciple between us, either of what
avail will this meeting be?" He
sent instead his elder son, Ram Rai,
his minister Diwan Dargah Mall, escorting
him According to the Guru kian Sakhian,
Guru Har Rai blessed his young son as
he seated him in the carriage and exhorted
him "Answer squarely and without
fear any questions the Emperor may ask.
Exhibit no hesitation. Read the Granth
attentively as you make halts on the
way. The Guru will protect you wherever
you might be." Gurdas, of the family
of Bhai Bahilo, was asked to accompany
Ram Rai with a copy of the (Guru) Granth
Sahib in order to please the Emperor,
Ram Rai deliberately misread one of
the lines from the (Guru) Granth Sahib.
This was reported by the Sikhs accompanying
him to Guru Har Rai, who anathematized
him for altering Guru Nanak's utterance
. Debarred from presence before the
Guru, Ram Rai retired to Dehra Dun.
Guru Har Rai chose his younger Son,
Har Krishan, to be his successor and
had him anointed as Guru.
Copyright © Harbans Singh "The
encyclopedia of Sikhism. "
Bhall Sarup Das, Mahima Prakash Patiala,
1971
Santokh Singh, Bhai. Sri Gur Pratap Suraj
Granth , Amritsar, 1927-33
Gian Singh, Giani, Panth Prakash Patiala,
1970
Satbir Singh, Nirbhau Nirvair, Jalandhar,
1984
Macauliffe, Max Arthur, A History of the
Sikhs, vol I, Princeton, 1963 |
